The reviews posted on the Amazon.com web site are glowing--but they all appear to have been posted by Lampoon writers themselves.

While the Lampoon's occasionally published magazine is known for its esoteric, if somewhat scatological pop references, their new book seems to be targeted at a much wider audience.

The Poonsters say they didn't really change their humor-writing techniques.

To test their pieces, Chun (known in the group for his "mainstream" sense of humor) said the others locked him in a closet and listen to how many times he chuckles.

And the Lampoon had some professional help with writing the book. Michael Colton '97, former Lampoon editor, former Crimson editor and co-author of Up Your Score: The Underground Guide to the SAT, served as an expert consultant in the early stages of the process.

Other alums also lent a hand. Conan C. O'Brien '85, last year's Class Day Speaker and two-time Lampoon president, wrote an unsigned piece for the last section of the book.

The project began in the Spring of 1999, when Chun fielded a phone call from Time Warner Books asking the Lampoon to write a guide.